News

Biteback

The Cultural Olympics - what a turn-off. But I may at last have some good news. When London was awarded the Games, it was made clear that there would be an accompanying arts fest. Trouble was that Locog, the London Olympics organisers, grabbed it before appointing the wrong chairman and artistic director. But these two have lost their posts, and Locog, thankfully, has had its arts remit squeezed to the pips. Instead, a new board, chaired by Tony Hall, Covent Garden's supremo, has been set up, with some sensible arts-world big-hitters.

Now they are about to appoint an artistic director, who will on a day-by-day basis run the show, and there are some decent names in the frame. The favourites are Alex Poots, who set up the excellent Manchester International Festival; Graham Sheffield, artistic director of the Barbican; and Ruth MacKenzie, special advisor to the Department of Culture. The two others